Finally
by LemonTwist
Summary: Takeru and Hikari struggle with their inner demons as the find themselves drifting apart from each other. Their love is tested through time and space apart.
1. Chapter 1

"Where is she?" Takeru thought as he looked around the parking lot on campus. "Oh, there she is!"

Hikari was walking towards the campus with her headphones in her ears, unaware of Takeru's attempts to grab her attention. He ran up to her and touched her arm.

"What the- oh, it's you. Ha, you scared me." Hikari said as she pulled her headphones out of her ears.

"I'm sorry, my bad." Takeru said. "So how did that interview go yesterday? You never called me back."

"Ugh, I know, I'm sorry." Hikari sighed. "It went horrible. I just want this internship so bad but I really don't think I'm the right candidate."

"Why, what happened?" Takeru asked.

"It was like everyone there had already been to America! Almost all of them knew the language perfectly and had family or friends or some kind of connection. Plus they all were in really nice suits. I had no chance."

"Oh c'mon, I'm sure it went great! You just worry to much." Takeru reassured. It was kind of cute, they way she worried. Sometimes Takeru would just stare at her, watching her expressions flow so fluidly, she was just so pretty. He just couldn't understand why she turned down so many men.

"Anyway, I'm going to drown in my sorrows over that interview later, want to join me?" Hikari said as she interrupted Takeru's train of thought.

"Ha, I suppose I could. Just make sure to call me later, ok?" Takeru responded. Hikari agreed, and at the sight of Daisuke coming towards her, she hugged Takeru good-bye and joined her classmate in the walk to class.

"So Daisuke-kun might come over later and join us tonight to hang out," Hikari told Takeru as she unlocked the door to her apartment. "Oh, hey Onii-chan. I thought you had a date tonight?" She said to her brother as she walked into the door and closed it behind Takeru.

"Hey Takeru-kun, nice to see you again. And I do, I'm just waiting for Sora to hurry up and get out of work." Taichi said as he shook hands with Takeru and responded to Hikari's question.

"Ooooooh, Sora, huh? Does Sora-san know you call her by her name only?" Takeru jokingly commented.

"Psh of course. She calls me Taichi all the time. You guys are just never around to hear it. It only makes sense, we've been together for like, 5 years now."

"Try seven," Hikari laughed.

Taichi rolled his eyes as he checked his cell phone messages and saw that Sora was out of work. He said good-bye to Takeru and Hikari, who kindly reminded him of her small get-together with her close friends that evening. He nodded in remembrance and went on with his evening.

Hikari offered Takeru something cold to drink from her refrigerator and proceeded to lead him into her bedroom where all her supplies for the evening were. Every time Hikari let Takeru into her room she felt a small sense of embarrassment.

Everyone in Hikari's life knew how she felt towards people in her bedroom. It was her place of solace and refuge. She kept it clean and tidy, with drawings that she and her closest friends drew throughout their lives posted all over the walls. Gatomon's bed sat beside her bed, matching polka-dot colors. Her computer sat on a stained wooden desk, a few papers from school beside it, and one framed picture of her and Takeru laughing together in the snow. That day was very special for Hikari, and she never removed that photo from her desk. While others came and went, switching between frame after frame, that photo never changed.

Takeru knew how Hikari felt about people in her room and every time she invited him in he felt so honored. It was almost as if she invited him to know her deepest secrets, her most memorable dreams, and her greatest fears. He too loved that picture of him and Hikari, for it represented to him a time of great happiness between two people where the world stopped, and all that was around them was love and joy. Every time Takeru saw that photo he remembered the look in Hikari's eyes as she was laughing over his failed attempts to capture snowflakes on his tongue, and when he finally caught one on his mitten and gave it to her. That moment, the look in his eyes when he looked at her smile, was forever frozen in time on her desk.

Hikari showed Takeru her assortment of chips and sodas and beer that she hid in her room from her brother, who she frequently finds eating her food and giving his friends her snacks. Hikari grabbed the bag of chip assortments and Takeru grabbed the drinks and they both returned to the kitchen and began to prepare for the evening's festivities. While Hikari cooked, she enjoyed watching Takeru struggle with her Wii system and getting four controllers hooked up to game. "He's so cute," she thought to herself with a mild blush across her face. "I don't understand why never asks anybody out for dates."

A few hours passed and Hikari's friends began to show up. Everyone was having a great time talking about the old adventures of the Digital World, watching Daisuke struggle horribly to keep up with the tennis game on the Wii, and continue to congratulate and taunt the relationship between Miyako and Ken.

Takeru looked around the apartment for the host of the party only to find her outside on the balcony, just staring off into the distance. He stepped outside to join her and closed the sliding glass door behind him to give them a small sense of privacy.

"It's so nice out, isn't it?" Hikari said as Takeru approached the fenced ledge with her, looking out into the distance of the city from her 7th floor balcony.

Takeru looked over at her, and she dropped her gaze down to her shoes. "What's wrong, Hikari-chan," He asked her in a warm, soft tone. Hikari fussed with her fingernails and she looked back up and out into the city.

"I'm just nervous." She responded. "I know my chances of that internship are so slim, but I want it so bad. It's just I'm scared. What if I do get it? I don't know how I'm going to handle being away from this, from here, from all of this for who knows how long." She looked over at him. "Away from all you, especially you. I just don't know if I can handle being alone without you there to talk to."

"It's going to be ok, Hikari-chan." Takeru said softly as he placed his hand on her arm, rubbing his thumb back and forth across her soft skin. "Most internships don't last that long, for at most six months. And right now it seems so long but it will go by so fast, I promise. We'll talk on the phone, I'll even handwrite you letters." Takeru said as he nudged her into breaking a smile.

Hikari chucked. "You're right. I just need to relax. I've just been so frustrated over how bad that interview went. It's difficult. I feel like I've been bombarded lately with so much."

All of a sudden a loud noise and a screaming Daisuke rang through the door. "We should probably go check that out. Daisuke-kun may need another trip to the hospital," Takeru chuckled as he ushered Hikari back into the apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hikari sat at her desk typing away frantically, with the hopes that her essay would just end already. She stopped typing for a second, leaned back in her chair, and began reading what she had just typed.

Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Moshi moshi? Yes, hi, this is her. Of course! Nice to hear from you again. Ok…Ok…Oh my gosh." Hikari brought her hand up to her mouth to cover it in disbelief.

"Are you serious? I, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much. What? Oh, yes, of course, give me one second." Hikari scrambled around to find a spare piece of paper and a pen.

"Ok I'm ready. Yes, yes, ok, ok great. You don't know what this means to me, I'm so honored. Shocked, really." She laughed. "Ok great, I will see you then. Thank you so much. Ok, buh-bye."

Hikari hung up her phone. She stared at it for a little while, then replaced her hand back over her mouth and began to sob. Her brother heard her cry and ran to her bedroom, and stared at her, wondering what happened.

"Are you ok, Hikari-chan? What happened?" Taichi asked from the entrance to her room.

Hikari wiped away her tears and broke through her cries with a laugh, "I got the internship, Tai." She chuckled. "I got the job."

Hikari walked with Iori towards the soccer fields on campus, backpack slung over their shoulders.

"So when do you find out all the information about the job," Iori asked as he looked around to find Daisuke and Takeru.

"Tonight at six, I have to go and fill out some information about my passport and all of that." Hikari replied.

Iori heard Daisuke call his name and he waved back at him in acknowledgment. "Are you nervous? I would be. I mean it's super cool that you're going, I would just be freaking out a little inside."

"I am," Hikari responded. "I'm trying to be more excited than nervous though."

Just then Daisuke ran up to the two, explained that he and Takeru were going to go wash up and change really quickly in the locker room and that they'd be back to meet them in a flash. Hikari and Iori walked over to the benches to wait for the boys, while Takeru and Daisuke left the soccer field to the locker room.

"So that's awesome that Hikari-chan got the job, huh?" Daisuke asked Takeru as he dried his hair off from the 2-minute shower he just had.

"Yeah, I'm so happy for her. She was anxious about this job for a long time."

"So, what are you going to do when she leaves? I know you don't really 'speak your feelings' and all, but you're not a little worried about her leaving?" Daisuke asked.

"Honestly, I'm going to miss her, and I would be lying if I said I didn't care that she was leaving." Takeru responded as he finished tying his shoe. "But what can I do? This is something she's wanted all her life, to travel, and I couldn't be upset at her fulfilling her dreams. Besides, she won't be gone forever. I'm sure she'll have to return for next semester."

"I guess. I don't know, I mean I'm going to miss her. I wish she wouldn't leave. What if she decides to stay? I would be pissed," Daisuke said as he headed out of the locker room leaving Takeru to finish getting dressed.

Takeru stood there for a moment, staring into his open locker, lock in hand. "She wouldn't just bail on us," he thought. "She wouldn't leave us." He quickly shook out the idea of her moving on without him from his head and proceeded to lock his locker, then headed out to join the trio for lunch.

Hikari walked out of the campus auditorium with her head hung low. She sighed a heavy sigh and stopped on the sidewalk. She looked around, watching the limbs of trees bend over slightly from the wind pushing them around. She looked at her phone, closed her eyes, opened them, and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Takeru-kun, can we talk tonight? Yeah I got the details about the trip. Actually I would prefer to talk to you face-to-face, is that ok? How about near the bridge? Cool, I'll see you in ten." Hikari hung up the phone and continued to head towards her car.

As she pulled up the parking lot near the bridge she saw Takeru's car sitting there, him on the hood waiting for her arrival. She approached him, and they walked together on the boardwalk towards the bridge. Takeru stopped at a decent location and stared out across the water.

"So how'd it go? What's the deal with the job?" Takeru asked Hikari.

Hikari looked up from the ground into his eyes, small amounts of teardrops filling the bottom of her eyes.

"They want me there for five years, Takeru-kun."

Takeru just stared back at her. "What are you going to do?" He asked softly.

"I don't know! I don't know, I didn't think it was for this long! I thought at most a year! I can't leave for five years!" Hikari cried as she wiped away her little tears. "I don't know what to do."

Takeru just stared out over the ocean. A few seconds went by.

"You should do it, Hikari-chan."

Hikari looked over at him in disbelief. "But I can't leave you." She responded. "I can't leave you all."

"But it's something you've wanted for so long! You have to do it, you have to stop letting the people around you prevent you from doing something you want." Takeru said to her as he attempted to lighten her mood. He put his arms around her and rested his chin on her temple.

"Everything will be ok." He said to her softly. His eyelids began to lower as he realized he wouldn't hold her like that for a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gatomon sat at the kitchen table eating her sandwich, listening to Hikari explain all the details of the move.

"So you're ok with staying with Miyako-chan while I'm gone?" Hikari asked.

"Of course, Hawkmon is very nice to talk to. A little strange, but pleasant." Gatomon replied.

"As long as you're ok with it." Hikari said. She walked to the table and slumped down into the chair across from Gatomon. "I just feel bad. I don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning you."

"I don't, Hikari. We've always taken care of each other and I know you're finally doing something for yourself. I know you'll be back one day."

Just then the door knocked. Hikari stood up from the table and went to open the door.

"Hey, you ready?" Daisuke asked as Hikari invited him in.

"Yes give me one second." She responded. She walked into her room to retrieve her coat.

"Daisuke."

"Gatomon."

"Nice to see you're hair is still a mess."

"Nice to see your fur still needs grooming."

"Hmph!" Gatomon gasped as she trotted away in a huff to her bed.

"Oh, bye Gatomon, I'll see you later." Hikari said as she crossed paths with Gatomon.

"Don't let his hair style rub off on you. You'll never be able to get the ugly off." Gatomon said with a smirk as she walked into the room.

"You don't think this suitcase is too big?" Hikari asked Daisuke as she dragged the suitcase to the register counter.

"No, it'll be fine. You're leaving for five years, I think you might need the extra space." He shrugged sarcastically. Hikari rolled her eyes and finished paying for her luggage bag and followed Daisuke out to his car. He opened his trunk and put the suitcase inside as Hikari got into the vehicle.

He sat down in the driver seat, closed the door, and looked at his keys for a second.

"You're not going to regret this, are you?" He asked Hikari quietly. Hikari waited a few seconds to respond.

"I hope not." She said softly.

The rest of the car ride home went by quietly. Hikari stared out the window most of the time watching the sun set in the horizon. Daisuke frequently caught Hikari staring at her keychain photo of her and Takeru then looking back out the car window. Daisuke pulled into the parking lot of Hikari's apartment complex and turned the car off.

"Don't leave without telling him how you feel, Hikari-chan." Daisuke whispered as he placed his hand on her arm. She looked over at him with defeated eyes. "If you wait to tell him until after you've already left, you'll regret it. This is something important to you."

Hikari sighed. "What if it doesn't work out or he needs time or it turns us into something awkward? I'm leaving, it's not like I can just stick around to see what happens."

"That's why you give him the idea and let him think about it. If you don't want him to wait for five years, that's ok! You just need to get it off your chest." He smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're not signing a contract, Hikari-chan. You're just sharing your feelings."

Hikari nodded. Daisuke was right. Every year she waited to tell Takeru was a year too long. She never told him her feelings in order to save the friendship, but she wasn't a child anymore. She was an adult. It was time she started treating her relationship with Takeru like one.

It was Friday night, the night before Hikari's departure. Everybody was at Hikari and Taichi's apartment celebrating and wishing Hikari good luck. Everyone had gifts for her which were a token of their friendship with her. When Sora explained how the gifts had a special meaning to those who were giving them, Hikari began to cry and laugh, thanking everyone for how much they cared for her.

The group laughed as strange gifts appeared, fond memories arose, and old jokes were once again heard. Everyone had shown up to support Hikari, even Jo, who took time from his resident program at the hospital to be there.

At the end of the unveiling of gifts, one gift wasn't present, and that was one from Takeru. Nobody said anything about it, in fact, no one noticed. Everyone was having too much of a great time. Hikari, however, noticed immediately. She shrugged it off, and placed into consideration that maybe she had shared so many memories with the young man that no gift could represent their friendship.

Takeru stepped outside onto the balcony to get a whiff of the cold air. The snow was starting to creep around the corner, and the evenings were becoming much more calm.

Hikari saw Takeru standing outside alone, and grabbed a cup of hot chocolate to bring him.

"Hey, I thought you might be a little cold." She said through small shivers and she wrapped herself in a blanket and handed Takeru the cup.

"Ha, thanks." He said as he smiled at her. He opened his arms to invite her in and keep her warm. They stood like that for a while, looking into the city lights. Takeru rested his chin on Hikari's head as remembered what Iori, Yamato, and Koshiro told him to do.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Hikari asked Takeru.

"I believe I'm the one who should be asking you," he responded.

Hikari shrugged. "I guess." They stood in silence for a couple of seconds.

"I need to tell you something," they both said at the same time.

"Oh, go ahead!" Takeru said.

"No, you go, I don't want to interrupt, I tell you afterwards." Hikari shook her head.

"Well…It's just-" Just then Koshiro pulled the door open. "What are you two doing in the cold? Come inside, we're guessing how much hair gel Yamato-kun uses in a day."

Hikari began to walk inside. "I guess we'll just talk about it later?" She shrugged. Takeru nodded with a shrug as well and followed her indoors.

"So did you tell her?" Yamato asked as he turned the car on.

"No, I didn't." Takeru sighed. Yamato kindly reminded Takeru of the deadline of tomorrow morning and in response Takeru smacked his arm.

"I know I only have until tomorrow. I'll tell her. I promise."

"Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I just don't want to see you feel any regret when she leaves. She's going to be gone for a long time, Takeru." Yamato stated.

Takeru stared out the window, watching the street lights pass by. "I know. Don't worry, I know."

Hikari sat on her luggage looking at her watch. Just as she looked up, Takeru arrived. He helped her put her luggage in the trunk and they headed towards the airport. The car ride there was typical, just regular talk about the trip, friends, school. They arrived and Takeru walked Hikari up to the ticket counter. She retrieved her ticket, dropped her luggage off, then walked towards the concourse entrance.

"Well, I guess this is it for a while." Hikari said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Takeru shrugged. They both looked at the ground for a while.

"So, uh, don't forget about us little people when you make it big in America, ok?" Takeru chuckled. His eyes glimmered with so much hope and sadness, it made it difficult for Hikari to show a true smile. She could feel his pain, and she knew he felt hers.

"Takeru-kun, I promise I won't ever forget about you. Any of you." She paused. "Especially you." She said quietly as her tears rolled down her face.

Takeru pulled her close to him and held her in his arms as time slowly stopped around them. Letting her go was the hardest thing he had to do.

He slowly pulled Hikari away from him, and as he wiped her tears away, he finally said, "Hikari, I love you. I love you so much. I have loved you for so long, and I can't imagine how my life is going to be without you." His eyes began to water as Hikari's tears continued to fall.

"I need to tell you this before you left. I'm sorry if I have made you uncomfortable, but I can't hold back how I feel about you." He finished.

Hikari just stared at him, wiped away her tears, and in between her sniffles, she chuckled. "I love you too!" She laughed through her tears. Takeru pulled her close and kissed her, and waited until the right moment before he pulled away.

"I love you, Takeru." Hikari smiled. She sighed, and looked into his eyes. "But you can't wait for me. This could guide me to my career, my lifelong dreams. You cannot wait for me. It isn't fair for to you, and it isn't fair to me." The smile across Takeru's face slowly turned into a solemn frown. He knew this was truth, but he didn't want to say it out loud. Unfortunately, Hikari did it for him.

"I know… Hikari-chan…I'm sorry for all of this." He held her hands in his. "I'll be here when you get back."

Hikari smiled, as the tears rolled down her face, kissed his cheek, touched his face, and turned away, walking towards the plane that would take her to her new life.


	4. Chapter 4

Two Years Later

Hikari laid in bed, watching the fan blades swoosh about on her ceiling. She rolled over and looked at Matthew laying there, sleeping. She couldn't sleep. She slowly got out of bed, careful not wake Matthew, and walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of cold milk, and walked from the kitchen to sliding glass door that separated her living room from her patio and went outside. She sat down and looked out over New York City. Two years have passed since she saw the glimmering night lights of Tokyo. The lights of this new town reminded her of home every single time she saw them. She looked at her watch. 3 A.M. It was 4 PM back home, and she decided to give her brother a call.

"Hello? Hi Oniisan!" she said as she began her conversation with her brother. He was the only one she kept in contact with on a regular basis. They spoke with each other about once a week. She hadn't spoken with Takeru in 3 months.

Hikari went about her conversation with her brother, talking about her week, how things were going with her and Matthew, with work, with life. Taichi was planning on asking Sora to marry him, and Hikari spoke with him for a little bit about all the ideas he had with how he wanted to propose. Then she asked how Takeru was doing. He's ok, Taichi said. He's been pretty busy with his own life and hasn't had much time with the group. Hikari sat in silence for a few seconds.

She missed him so much. She broke her own silence by telling her brother it was late and she need to go to bed, so they said their good-byes and hung up the phone. Hikari looked at her phone for a moment, and went back inside to the bed. She slowly laid down, and as she attempted to fall asleep again, on her mind she could only think of home, and the man she missed so dearly.

"Hey Kari! Boss man wants to speak with you." Hikari's co-worker told her as she typed away at her computer in the office. Her office sat on the fifth floor downtown Manhattan, and she had a little cubicle to herself. In it hung pictures of her with friends, family, and then one picture she took with Takeru the last time she was in America with him, when they met Willis.

Hikari rolled away from her computer and walked down the hallway to her manager's conference room and sat down at a table with a group of men and women, all much higher in the tier of authority then her. Concerned that she was in trouble, she slowly sat down and crossed her hands on her lap.

"Kari," her manager began, "you have done extraordinarily well here. Myself, and all the people here, would like to commend you for the hard work you've done" he said, as he smiled with his fellows at her.

"Whew, thank you. I thought I was in trouble!" Hikari chuckled as she relaxed herself in her chair.

"Oh no, thank you! You have done tremendous work here, and in fact, this is the reason we have asked you here today. We have a proposal we would like to offer you. A promotion." Hikari seemed intrigued, yet still confused.

"What can I help with? I don't feel like I'm too helpful, but I appreciate being offered an opportunity for growth!"

"Before I tell what the offer is, I have a question for you, which I would like you to answer truthfully." Hikari nodded in agreement.

"Do you miss your home?"

Hikari's smile became melancholy. She could feel her longing to be with her family, and strong desire to hold Takeru again growing in her. Her eyes glazed over with tears she held back.

"I miss my home every single day." She said with a sad smile.

"Good. We would like to send you home. Permanently." Hikari's face grew to confusion. Her manager chuckled.

"Before you grow concerned, this is not a firing. We are opening up a branch in Tokyo, and many of our clients do not speak English. We are looking for someone who can assist our management team, and hopefully become one of them, in Tokyo. We know how long you've been away, and we know that you will do just as an amazing job back home as you have done for us here. I know this is sudden, and you do not have to respond right away, but you are our first choice, and we truly hope you will accept our offer."

Hikari nodded understandingly. This was huge. She politely requested some time to think about the offer, and her managers understood. She was excused from the meeting, and as she walked back to her cubicle, her tears began rolling down her face. She sat down, and just stared at the blank computer screen on her desk.

Minutes passed by as all of her emotions raged through her, all the confusion and concern, the excitement and hope, the sadness and worry, everything. She just sat there.

Minutes later, Hikari stood back up and walked back into the conference room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she began as she opened the door on a conversation, "but I'll do it."

Three months later

Hikari didn't sleep a single second of the flight home. Her excitement was too great. As the plane began to descend and the flight attendant said in both English and Japanese that they were about to land in Tokyo, Hikari began to cry. She missed home so much. Leaving America wasn't easy. Saying goodbye to Matthew was difficult. While she never fell in love with him, she cared for him, and only wanted the best. Leaving her new friends behind was just as difficult. But she couldn't ever be able to turn down the opportunity to return home, let alone work at home.

Her plane landed, and as it struck the runway, she could see the snow gathered around the field. Christmas Eve! There was never a more perfect time to return to her home then now.

She deboarded the plane and after grabbing her luggage, caught a cab. How great she felt smelling the air at home, reading Japanese every where she turned, knowing exactly what was going on! She was more excited to surprise her friends than anything. She hadn't told anyone that she was coming home, but after her previous conversation with Taichi the day before, knew they would all be at Koushiro's home. She gave the cab driver his address, and off she went.

The whole ride there, she couldn't stop staring at her keychain. She never removed that photo of her and Takeru. She carried him with her everywhere she went. She began to grow more nervous with every turn the driver took. Would he be happy to see her? Would he cry? Did he still feel the exact same way he felt two years ago in that airport? All these questions ran through her mind. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, the driver stopped.

"We're here, ma'am."

Hikari opened her eyes, and sat for a moment. She looked around, and took another deep breath, and left the vehicle. After the driver removed her suitcase from the trunk and drove away, Hikari didn't move an inch. She just stood there and stared at the door.

Everything looked the exact same way it was when she left. She took one last deep breath, and rolled her luggage behind her as she walked up to the door. She could hear everybody inside. Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my go-

"Hikari-chan?" Koushiro said as he opened the door to her fist up, preparing to knock.

"Koushiro-kun?" Hikari cried. Koushiro pulled her into a strong embrace as they both cried softly with each other. Silence filled the house as the other members of the group grew curious. Slowly they all walked into the hallway, finding Hikari and Koushiro drying their tears from their eyes. Everybody gasped with surprise and excitement as they all began to hug Hikari. Tears of joy rolled down everybody's face, and laughter and smiles filled the house. Taichi scolded Hikari jokingly for not telling him of her arrival, and hugged her greatly. Everybody was smiling and laughing.

"Hikari?" a whisper came from behind the group. Takeru had just come inside from the back porch, to find a circle of friends surrounding his last love. He stared at her. Everybody grew silent as the two stared at each other in the hallway.

"Hello, Takeru-kun." Hikari said softly.

"I can't believe you're here." Takeru said.

"I know, me either." Hikari chuckled softly. She walked up to him, and as they stood close, he pulled her into his embrace.

"I have missed you so much, Hikari-chan." Takeru said as he held her close.

"I've missed you too." Hikari muffled into the tear-soaked shoulder of Takeru's jacket.

"Takeru-kun? Who is your friend?" a voice said from behind him. Takeru pulled Hikari away from him to turn and face the woman who asked.

"Oh, Ayaka, this is Hikari, one of my childhood friends. The one who was living in America. Hikari-chan, this Ayaka. My…girlfriend." Takeru said as he slowly introduced the two women. Hikari seemed dumbfounded. She shook Ayaka's hand and nodded in introduction, and just stood there.

He has a girlfriend.

Takeru excused himself from the group and invited Hikari to join him outside on the back patio. Hikari followed him, and stared out into the snowy backyard, watching the light from the night stars glisten against the snow.

"Hikari-chan-"

"No, it's ok, Takeru-kun." Hikari said as she cut him off.

"I need to explain." He sighed. "I waited for you. I did. For a long time. But we were growing apart, and I was lonely, and Ayaka and I were just friends for a long time because she knew I wasn't looking for anybody. But I just-I just kept waiting, and I-"

"Takeru-kun." Hikari said as she turned to look him in his eyes. "You don't need to explain anything." Takeru stood there in silence, unsure of what to say. He could see how much pain Hikari was in. He didn't know what to do. He felt like he had betrayed a good friend, but he hadn't, and didn't know what to say. Just then, Ayaka, opened the door and interrupted their silence to tell Takeru they were getting ready to begin the exchanging of gifts. Takeru nodded, and asked Hikari if they could continue their conversation later. Hikari nodded, looking out into the snow. Takeru stared at her for a moment, then left her in silence to join the group inside. Shortly after, Daisuke joined Hikari on the patio.

"I'm sorry, Hikari-chan. I thought you knew. We all thought he told you." Daisuke said as he placed a solemn hand on her shoulder. Hikari looked up at him with glazed eyes, and a sad smile across her face.

"I don't know what I expected," she said. "I should have never thought he would wait."

"He loves you, still." Daisuke said to her. "Ayaka is a kind person, and she cares for him. But I can see it, he still cares for you. You only just arrived today. Give it time."

Hikari nodded, and allowed Daisuke to coax her into the house. The group was all sitting down inside in front of the fireplace, and as soon as Hikari sat down, they all began to tell stories of the past two years, and quickly it felt to Hikari like she had never left.

The night grew on, and people began their goodbyes. Daisuke offered his spare room to Hikari for her to stay in until she found her own place, and she accepted. The drive to Daisuke's house was very quiet. Even through the laughter of the night, he knew she was in incredible amounts of pain. He allowed her the silence, though. Hikari knew he was there for her, and as they arrived to his house, she touched his hand.

"Thank you for being here for me. Please be patient with me." She said to him. He smiled a sad smile, one that knew of the pain she felt. They both walked inside, and Hikari excused herself to retire to bed. Daisuke hugged her, and as she walked into her temporary bedroom to unpack her belongings and prepare to sleep, Daisuke thought of an idea. Hikari unpacked, and right before she tucked herself into bed, Daisuke brought her a small package.

"Merry Christmas, Hikari-chan." He said. Hikari looked at the small, wrapped gift with confusion, and as she was getting ready to respond to him, he kissed her softly on the forehead, and left her alone with her gift. As Daisuke closed the door behind him, Hikari pulled her eyes away from the door down to the gift. She unwrapped it slowly, and inside was a photo of her with all of her friends from high school, with a note.

"Dear Hikari,

I know it is difficult to seem in this time of your grieiving, but do not ever forget about the ones who will always love you. We will all be here for you until the end of time. Do not ever think you are alone. Now that you are home, you will always be surrounded by love.

-Daisuke."

Hikari pulled her crying eyes away to look out the window of the bedroom. This return home was more difficult then she had prepared for.


End file.
